When someone says that they broke their arm at work, what does that really mean? We often use the word “broken” as a description for an injury. However, there are many different types of fractures. They all come with different levels of pain, treatment methods and healing times.
These factors are very important when considering your rights to financial compensation, so it’s important to take a look at some of the differences. You need to know exactly what kind of injury you have, what to expect and what rights you have. A few different types of fractures include:
- A stress fracture: This is a thin, hairline crack that runs through the bone.
- An oblique fracture: One of the more serious types, this is when the break in the bone moves at an angle, not straight across that bone.
- A compound fracture: This just means that the broken end of the bone protrudes through the skin. It can lead to bleeding, infections and other complications.
- A buckle fracture: This happens when bones that are near each other collide, such as when a hard impact drives a lower leg bone up into a higher one.
- A greenstick fracture: This little-known fracture happens when the bone actually does not break completely, but just bends.
- A comminuted fracture: This means that the bone shattered, to a degree, snapping into multiple pieces. It could happen with a crushing injury, for instance.
Any one of these injuries can put you out of work and in the hospital. If the injury occurred on the job, make sure you know how to seek the workers’ compensation you need and deserve as you heal.
